New CAIR Video Upload: Tea Party Anti-Muslim Hate Comes to Ohio SchoolCAIR-Cleveland has released a new upload of a video highlighting anti-Muslim hate preached at a recent Tea Party event at a school in that state, which included claims that American Muslims "will kill your children" and that "we are in war with Islam." (The previous video upload was removed by YouTube.)

(CLEVELAND, OHIO, 12/19/12) – The Cleveland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Ohio chapter (CAIR-Cleveland) today released a video highlighting anti-Muslim hate preached at a recent Tea Party event at a school in that state, which included claims that American Muslims "will kill your children" and that "we are in war with Islam."

At the December 10 event, titled "Infiltration of Islam in America?" and sponsored by the Mansfield North Central Ohio Tea Party, at Mansfield High School in Mansfield, Ohio, speaker Usama Dakdok called Islam a "wicked cult" and made hate-filled claims such as: (NOTE: Speaker's linguistic errors retained.)

"The day will come and Muslim in America will have the upper hand, and they will kill your children for not eating what is liked. For not eating the lawful foods."

"What happened to the women and the children? They were raped. By who? By Muhammad and his followers. And they got pregnant, and they had babies, and the baby was born by the name Fatima, and Khadija, and Obama, and Hussein, and Barack, and all those wonderful Muslim names."

"[W]ithout Allah they will die and for sure they would spend eternity in hell with Muhammad and with all previous Muslims, and Baptist, and Presbyterian, and Catholic, and everyone who's think by going to some church will make it to heaven."

"Killing you is a small matter [for Muslims]."

"We were not in war with Bin Ladin, we are in war with Islam."

"[T]hen you have a revival in America among the Muslim, and that's when they start beheading your children and your grandchildren."

"So they say this month two and a half percent of the profit [American banks] made will go to Egypt. To help to get rid of illiteracy. What do they mean by illiteracy? They meant Christian. We are gonna kill some Christian. Or this month we are gonna get rid of some AIDS. What is AIDS? That is the Jews."

CAIR-Cleveland had called on people of conscience to ask the Tea Party group to drop Dakdok from the December 10 program.

"Our nation's schools should be havens from the kind of hatred spewed by Mr. Dakdok," said CAIR-Cleveland Executive Director Julia Shearson. "We urge Ohio's religious and political leaders to repudiate this and all other forms of bigotry being promoted by a vocal minority nationwide – bigotry which can and does lead to violence."

Shearson noted that another charge was added yesterday to those filed against an armed Indiana man arrested for burning the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo in September.

Also yesterday, New Jersey white supremacists faced hate crime charges for allegedly attacking several men of Egyptian descent in 2011. One of the alleged attackers wrote on a website: "(W)e went to hunt down some sand n**gers, it was me and my other bro on like 6 or eight and we whooped them."

As an example of recent campaigns to promote anti-Muslim bigotry, CAIR cited efforts of the designated hate group headed by blogger Pamela Geller to place Islamophobic ads in transit systems nationwide.

A scheduled 2011 speech by Dakdok at the same school was cancelled by the Mansfield City School Board after complaints from the NAACP and CAIR, but the decision was challenged by a lawsuit brought on behalf of the Tea Party.

With legal fees mounting, the Mansfield School District recently settled the law suit and granted permission for the hate preacher to speak at the school.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CAIR-FL Urges Stepped-Up Security After Woman with Sword Arrested at Mosque, Muslim School

(TAMPA, FL, 12/19/12) -- The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) today called for stepped-up security at mosques and Islamic schools in that state following an incident in which a woman carrying a sword was arrested after entering a mosque on a school campus.

CAIR-FL said the incident occurred this morning on the campus of Leaders Preparatory School in Orange County, Fla. The campus includes a mosque, a daycare and a Muslim school. The woman, 47-year-old Dominique Eloi, was arrested and charged with possession of a weapon on school grounds, disrupting a school function and aggravated assault with a weapon.

"Houses of worship and schools nationwide must be protected from harm or threats of harm," said CAIR-Tampa Executive Director Hassan Shibly. "We are grateful that no one was hurt in this incident."

Last week, CAIR's San Francisco Bay Area chapter called for increased community vigilance after a man reportedly entered a mosque in Fremont, Calif., claimed he had a gun, and threatened to kill everyone inside.

CAIR is urging mosques and houses of worship of all faiths to review advice on security procedures contained in its "Muslim Community Safety Kit."

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

Right now, the Senate is in its last few hours of debate as it considers this year's NDAA. While this annual defense authorization act provides valuable funding for the armed forces, it also includes several weakened provisions that fail to put an end to threat of indefinite military detention within the United States as authorized by last year's NDAA.

CAIR strongly supports provisions like Senator Udall's Amendments 3115 and 3116, as they would effectively repeal the NDAA's unconstitutional expansion of the military's authority and reaffirm the due process rights of all persons within the U.S.

CAIR applauds the Senate’s bipartisan attempt last Thursday to fix the NDAA's indefinite detention provisions by passing the Feinstein-Lee Amendment 3018. However, Amendment 3018 fails to put an end to the unconstitutional threat of the U.S. military being used to police, arrest, and indefinitely detain persons on American soil suspected of terrorism without charge or trial.

The amendment also fails to protect due process rights of "all persons," as enshrined in the Constitution. Instead, it only bars the detentions of U.S. citizens and green card-holders while ignoring the rights of non-citizens.

With regard to Amendment 3018, Senator Feinstein and other members of the Senate have acknowledged that this amendment is a compromise to gain bipartisan consensus. CAIR however believes that the U.S. Constitution should never be compromised to guarantee the due process rights of some over others.

Contact your senators today to support provisions like Amendments 3115 and 3116, and ask for real change that puts an end to indefinite detention. CAIR has provided a letter to which you may add a message of your own or simply fill in your name and address and click "send message."

CAIR-San Antonio: Threat of Massacre is No MisdemeanorPolice arrested a man who threatened to kill as many people as possible at a mosque before killing himself ... The local chapter of [CAIR] has called on federal authorities to consider bringing more serious charges. But local residents shouldn't have to look to federal officials for help.

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/4/12) -- On Wednesday, December 5, a coalition of American Muslim organizations will hold a noon news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to call on the Republican Party to reassess and improve its relationship with U.S. Muslims.

The coalition will also announce the publication of a full-page advertisement in the conservative Washington Times newspaper outlining the need for that reassessment.

That open letter to the GOP states in part:

"We are writing to offer an open invitation to reassess your party's current relationship with American Muslims. As with other demographics, American Muslim support for Republicans has dropped precipitously in recent years. This shift away from the GOP is not set in stone, but its future direction is dependent on choices your party makes."

A similar statement of American Muslim concerns will be addressed to the Democratic Party in the near future.

Last month, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, released the results of an informal exit poll indicating that more than 85 percent of American Muslim voters picked President Obama in the November 6 election.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CAIR:Dead Pig Left at Houston-Area MosqueInterfaith leaders hold press conference repudiating bigotry(HOUSTON, TEXAS, 12/5/2012) - This morning, the Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Texas) joined interfaith leaders for a press conference at the Islamic Outreach Center-Cypress (IOC-Cypress) to repudiate the apparent hate crime of a dead pig left at the mosque.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GOP Asked to Reach Out to Muslim Voters, Reject Anti-Islam Bias

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/5/12) -- A coalition of 11 major American Muslim organizations* today called on the Republican Party to reach out to Muslim voters by rejecting anti-Islam bias and discriminatory legislation.

At a noon news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., the coalition announced the publication of a full-page advertisement in the conservative Washington Times newspaper outlining recent examples of intolerant speech and actions by Republicans and offering recommendations to help improve GOP relations with the Muslim community.

"We are writing to offer an open invitation to reassess your party's current relationship with American Muslims. As with other demographics, American Muslim support for Republicans has dropped precipitously in recent years. This shift away from the GOP is not set in stone, but its future direction is dependent on choices your party makes."

Recommendations for GOP leaders outlined in the open letter include:

The party establishment should speak out strongly against biased speech within its ranks.

The party should make a concerted effort to engage Muslim voters.

The party establishment should oppose efforts to pass discriminatory legislation.

The party establishment should reject any member's effort to use official public forums to smear a minority.

Party officials should end the persistent witch-hunt targeting legally operating Muslim institutions.

The coalition's letter concludes by stating:

"Let us all work together to maintain America's leadership in support of emerging democracies and the rule of law worldwide by promoting the humanitarian principles enshrined in our Constitution's Bill of Rights. May God Almighty bless the United States of America."

*Signatories to the open letter include:

American Muslim Alliance (AMA)

American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)

American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT)

Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA)

ICNA Council for Social Justice (CSJ)

The Mosque Cares (Ministry of W. Deen Mohammed)

Muslim American Society Public Affairs and Civic Engagement (MAS-PACE)

Muslim Ummah of North America (MUNA)

Pakistan American Democratic Forum (PADF)

United Voices

A similar statement of American Muslim concerns will be addressed to the Democratic Party in the near future.

Last month, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, released the results of an informal exit poll indicating that more than 85 percent of American Muslim voters picked President Obama in the November 6 election.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CAIR: Don't Discount the Muslim American 'Influence' VoteNumbering between 3 and 6 million, Muslim Americans are a small portion of the population, but Zogby explained that "they are strategically located" in swing states. "All of these (swing) states were close," he said. [CAIR] National Executive Director Nihad Awad recently echoed this view. "Muslim voters in swing states such as Florida, Virginia and Ohio seemed to have played a critical role in tipping the balance in the president's re-election victory."

CAIR to Be Featured in CBS Special 'Working for Religious Freedom'The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is the largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization in the USA. We speak with two staff members. Staff Attorney Gadier Abbas and National Legislative Director Corey Saylor address "Islamophobia" and how anti-Muslim sentiment is affecting the civil and religious rights of the Muslim community.Starts Sunday. Find local air times here.

ISLAM-OPED is a syndication service of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) designed to offer an American Muslim perspective on current political, social and religious issues. ISLAM-OPED commentaries are offered free-of-charge to one media outlet in each market area. Permission for publication will be granted on a first-come-first-served basis.

[Ibrahim Hooper is national communications director for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil liberties organization. He may be contacted at: ihooper@cair.com A photo of Ibrahim Hooper is available at:http://tinyurl.com/hooperphoto ]

During the Christmas season, Christian families seek to maintain a focus on Jesus and his legacy.

Many of our Christian brothers and sisters may be surprised to know that Muslims love and revere Jesus as one of God's greatest messengers to mankind, just as we love and revere the Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon them both.

The Prophet Muhammad sought to erase any distinctions between the message he taught and that taught by Jesus, whom he called God's "spirit and word."

Prophet Muhammad said: "Both in this world and in the Hereafter, I am the nearest of all people to Jesus, the son of Mary. The prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is one."

"Behold! The angels said: 'O Mary! God gives thee glad tidings of a Word from Him. His name will be Jesus Christ, the son of Mary, held in honor in this world and the Hereafter and in (the company of) those nearest to God.'"

The quote above is not from the New Testament. It is taken from the Quran, Islam's revealed text. (3:45)

Other verses in the Quran, regarded by Muslims as the direct word of God, state that Jesus was strengthened with the "Holy Spirit" (2:87) and is a "sign for the whole world." (21:91) His virgin birth was confirmed when Mary is quoted as asking: "How can I have a son when no man has ever touched me?" (3:47)

An entire chapter of the Quran (Chapter 19) is named after Jesus' mother Mary, "Maryam" in the Arabic of the Quran.

The Quran shows Jesus speaking from the cradle and, with God's permission, curing lepers and the blind. (5:110) God also states in the Quran: "We gave (Jesus) the Gospel and put compassion and mercy into the hearts of his followers." (57:27)

Muslims believe Jesus will return to earth in the last days before the final judgment. Disrespect toward Jesus is very offensive to Muslims.

The message of love, peace and forgiveness taught by Jesus, and accepted by both Christians and Muslims, can serve as a unifying force in a troubled world.

It is the same message of unity expressed by another verse in the Quran:

"Say ye: 'We believe in God and the revelation given to us and to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and it is unto Him that we surrender ourselves.'" (2:136)

Obviously, Muslims and Christians have differing interpretations of the details of the life and message of Jesus. But by focusing on what we have in common, Christians and Muslims of goodwill can help build bridges of interfaith understanding and serve as a counterweight to the voices of division and extremism.

As the Quran tells us: "O humankind! We have created you male and female; and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another. Verily, the most honored of you in the sight of God is the most righteous of you." (49:13)

CAIR: Conn. City Supports Mosque After Lawsuit, Fed Inquiry (AP)"We are absolutely glad to see this," said Mongi Dhaouadi, executive director of [CAIR-CT]. "We're going to let the process play itself out and hopefully we'll celebrate at the end as a whole community in Norwalk."

CAIR-SFBA Builds Partnership with Japanese American CommunityThe Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), in collaboration with the San Francisco Bay Area Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Tule Lake Committee, will be sponsoring a program whose goal is to bridge communities and build partnerships of understanding.

CAIR: America's #1 Syndicated Columnist Says 'Islam is a Copycat Religion'Cal Thomas: "Did you know that Jesus and Mohammed are brothers? That's the claim made by [CAIR's] Ibrahim Hooper. . .Islam is a copycat religion, taking from Old and New Testaments; denying some of it, while adding to it. And if you read the last chapter of Revelation, you see God's judgment on people who add to or subtract from his word. There is only one word of God and Muhammed isn't it."

2003:Cal Thomas Echoes Nazi PropagandaThomas, echoing 1930s Nazi propaganda against the Jewish community in Germany, warned of the "dangers" posed by increased Muslim political participation in North America. Thomas wrote: "You don't have to be paranoid to fear where this can lead in Canada and in the United States -- where immigration and births are dramatically increasing the Muslim population. . .If politicians succumb to pressure from Muslim activist groups and equate Islam with the religious and political heritage of this country, we will know that an important beachhead has been attained by our enemies."

2001: Cal Thomas Calls for Ethnic Cleansing of PalestiniansA Cal Thomas column, "Israel Must Rid Itself of the Palestinians Once and for All" (6/5/2001), called for the wholesale "transfer" of the Palestinian people from their historic homeland. Thomas stated: "It should now be clear that Israel cannot tolerate a huge Arab population within its borders. . .Israel should declare its intention to transfer large numbers of its Palestinian residents to Arab nations. . .Eviction is a better avenue to stability. Will it happen? Probably not. Should it? Yes."

CAIR Action Alert: Ask Ohio Tea Party to Drop Anti-Islam SpeakerThe Cleveland chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Ohio is calling on American Muslims and other people of conscience to ask the Mansfield North Central Ohio Tea Party to drop the anti-Islam hate preacher Usama Dakdok from tonight's program at the Mansfield High School in Mansfield, Ohio.

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/10/12) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is asking all Americans who value civil liberties to urge President Obama to veto the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (NDAA), which restricts his authority to transfer or prosecute detainees held at Guantanamo or to close the facility.

Today's request follows a recent letter sent to the president by CAIR and 25 other national civil and human rights and religious liberties groups making the same request.

Although it was recently passed in the Senate and approved last summer in the House, the NDAA's conference committee has not yet reconciled the differences between their two versions of the bill. While this annual defense authorization act provides valuable funding for the armed forces, it also includes several unnecessary restrictions that limit the executive branch's authority to transfer detainees or prosecution them in federal criminal court.

The House version of the NDAA restricts all transfer of prisoners for one fiscal year, while the Senate version restricts transfers overseas and includes a permanent ban on transfers to the United States, even for prosecution.

While more than 80 prisoners have already been cleared for release to their home countries or another relocation site, past restrictions imposed by Congress prevent the president from doing so. These restrictions on transferring prisoners expire on March 27, 2013.

On November 29, in a statement of administration policy to the Senate, the White House expressed "serious concerns" over the Senate's transfer restrictions "limiting key authorities of the Executive" and in their current form threatened that the president's "advisers would recommend that [he] veto the bill."

CAIR believes Congress has repeatedly maneuvered to prevent the president from closing Guantanamo as he promised to do in his first year in office. CAIR urges you to not let Congress tie the hands of the president once again.

Ask President Obama to close Guantanamo in his second term of office and to veto the NDAA should it come to his desk containing any restrictions on his authority to do so. [Link to Action Alert]

For the past four years Congress has repeatedly maneuvered to prevent President Obama from closing the Guantanamo Bay military detention facility. Once again, this year's National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (NDAA) threatens to permanently restrict the president's ability to transfer or prosecute detainees held at Guantanamo and shut down this illegal facility once and for all.

Take action now by urging the president to veto the NDAA should it come to his desk with any congressional provisions that tie his hands and prevent him from closing Guantanamo.

CAIR-Chicago:State Lawmakers Pass Anti-Hate ResolutionThe language in the resolution was carefully constructed by SAAPRI, though many groups were involved, including the Asian American Institute and Shoulder-to-Shoulder, an interfaith organization which includes Muslim, Jewish, and Christian community leaders. The Council on American-Islamic Relations chapter in Chicago was also a major player.

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/11/2012) –- The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) today announced that state legislator Dave Agema's anti-Islam bill, known officially as HB 4769, may pass this week during Michigan's lame duck legislative session. (The bill is currently on the legislative calendar.)

CAIR-MI is calling on all people of conscience to urge Governor Snyder to veto the biased bill which is among those that seek to impose government-sanctioned discrimination on followers of a minority faith.

Take Action Now(Michigan residents only. If you know anyone in Michigan please forward this alert to them.)

Michigan State Representative Dave Agema (R-Grandville), whose bill is patterned on anti-Islam legislation widely circulated in the last two years, has a history of making controversial comments relating to Muslims.

In comments relating to legislation meant to apprehend undocumented workers, Agema stated, "We have the largest concentration of Muslims in the state in the Dearborn area. I know we have (sleeper) cells there. That is what I really want to get at."

Agema is clearly targeting Islam for unequal treatment from others faiths. In explaining why he feels the bill is important, he told the Grand Rapids Press, "They (Muslims) want specific laws applied to their specific groups ... They do not want to be under our law."

In 2011, the American Bar Association (ABA) passed a resolution opposing this exact type of legislation noting that it is "duplicative of safeguards that are already enshrined in federal and state law," and saying, "initiatives that target an entire religion or stigmatize an entire religious community, such as those explicitly aimed at 'Sharia law,' are inconsistent with some of the core principles and ideals of American jurisprudence."

In written testimony submitted to a U.S. Senate hearing on hate crimes and the threat of domestic extremism held earlier this year, CAIR established that legislation such as Agema's clearly has the stigmatization of American Muslims as a core goal.

If signed into law, HB 4769 would prohibit a "court, arbitrator, administrative agency, or other adjudicative, mediation, or enforcement authority" from enforcing a foreign law if doing so would violate a right guaranteed by the constitution of this state or of the United States." Current law already does this.

As reported in CAIR's Senate testimony, in 2011 and 2012, 78 bills or amendments aimed at interfering with Islamic religious practices were considered in 31 states and the U.S. Congress. Seventy-three of those bills were introduced by Republicans and 62 contained language copied from Islamophobe David Yerushalmi's "American Laws for American Courts" model legislation. So far, anti-Muslim laws have been adopted in Arizona, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Kansas.

Yerushalmi is head of the anti-Islam hate group Society of Americans for National Existence (SANE), which once offered a policy proposal that would make "adherence to Islam" punishable by 20 years in prison, called for the immediate deportation of all non-citizen Muslims and urged Congress to declare war on the "Muslim Nation," which SANE defined as "all Muslims." The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) named Yerushalmi a member of the "anti-Muslim inner circle."

Outside of his anti-Islam activism Yerushalmi is notable for saying, "There is a reason the founding fathers did not give women or black slaves the right to vote." He has also claimed that people of the Jewish faith "destroy their host nations like a fatal parasite."

The Muslim community of the Al Hedaya Islamic Center in Newtown, in Connecticut and throughout the nation joins with our fellow Americans in grieving for those who died in this senseless tragedy and praying for them and their families.

We ask God to grant those lost a special place in paradise and we ask their families to be granted the strength to endure the unendurable.

It is in such times of almost unbearable loss that we seek comfort with our Creator and that artificial divisions of faith fall away to reveal a nation of mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, son and daughters, all united in a desire to bring healing and renewed hope.

The Quran, Islam's revealed text, tells us that God's mercy and compassion are without limit and always available for those who ask. God says: "When my servants question you about Me, tell them that I am near. I answer the prayer of every person who calls on Me." (2:186)

In the Quran, God also says: "Give glad tidings to those who endure with patience; who, when afflicted with calamity, say: 'We belong to God and to Him we shall return.' Such are the people on whom there are blessings and Mercy from God." (2:155-157)

So let us all, of every faith, of every background, pray for God's comfort at this time of heartbreaking tragedy.

"Verily, with every difficulty there is ease. Verily, with every difficulty there is ease." (94:5-6)

MEDIA ADVISORY: CAIR-St. Louis, ACLU to Announce Religious Bias Suit Against City, Taxicab Commission(ST. LOUIS, MO, 12/12/12) -- On Thursday, December 13, the St. Louis chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAR-St. Louis), the ACLU-EM and the Law Office of Drew C. Baebler will hold a news conference on the front steps of the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri to announce the filing of a religious discrimination suit against the Metropolitan Taxicab Commission (MTC), the City of St. Louis and Whelan Security on behalf of a Muslim taxi driver. (Read more)WHEN: Thursday, December 13, 11 a.m.WHERE: Front Steps of 22nd Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri, 10 North Tucker Boulevard, St. Louis, Mo.CONTACT: CAIR-St.Louis Executive Director Faizan Syed, 314-330-2946,faizan@cair-stlouis.com

(OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, 12/12/2012) -- On Thursday, December 13, the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-OK) will hold a news conference in Oklahoma City to call for an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) into alleged FBI harassment of Muslim Air Force veteran Saadiq Long, who recently returned to United States after being placed on a no-fly list while overseas.

Long alleges that since his return to Oklahoma, he and his family have been subjected to repeated unwanted encounters with federal law enforcement authorities, including detention at gunpoint. He and his sister are scheduled to appear at the news conference.

Following intervention by CAIR-OK, Long, a U.S. citizen and Air Force veteran living in Qatar, was recently allowed to return to the United States. He had been struggling to return home for six months after being denied boarding on previous flights to visit his terminally-ill mother.

CAIR, a Washington-based Muslim civil rights organization, has dealt with a number of similar cases nationwide in which Muslim citizens are prevented from returning to the United States or faced government coercion when seeking to return home.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understandin